 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
||
 |
||
 |
||
| Friends, faculty, students, and staff, When I assumed my responsibilities as CTAHR dean last year, my conversations with community leaders helped me set three themes that will guide the college's research, instruction, and outreach for the next several years. First, agriculture in Hawai'i must be strengthened to help revitalize Hawai'i's economy. Second, we must do all we can to protect and sustain Hawai'i's environment. Third, our communities must be strengthened. In the aftermath of the September 11 attacks on the United States, all three are more important than ever. Hawai'i is challenged on many fronts today. The state's economy is struggling once again as catastrophic events beyond our control wreak havoc on the state's tourist industry. A headline in the October 7 issue of the Honolulu Advertiser declared, "When tourism falters, there's no backup." I'm convinced agriculture can be a major component of a backup to tourism. It will take time and investment and commitment on the part of both the public and private sectors, but it can be done and now is the time to do it. CTAHR stands ready to assist in this effort with research and outreach that will help producers make wise crop selections, grow their crops successfully, and market them widely. As we saw when the sugarcane industry began to collapse, job loss, bankruptcy, and other economic hardships create potentially devastating family and community stresses. CTAHR's family and community resources, in the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences, the Department of Human Nutrition, Food and Animal Sciences, and the Center on the Family, are prepared to be of service to the state to help our communities and their families weather the storm that has so suddenly borne down upon us. We in CTAHR look forward to helping the state meet the challenges it now faces. Thomas Paine said, "These are the times that try men's souls." These are also the times that show what people are made of. We have a job to do, and we're ready to do it. |
||
|
||
|
||
|
Last updated on
|
